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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27331090">A Cracked Shield</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunny_k/pseuds/hunny_k'>hunny_k</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy XV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Mutual Pining, Sickfic, They don't get together in this one, but hmmm watch out for later, they play checkers, this is a hint</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 23:09:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,822</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27331090</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunny_k/pseuds/hunny_k</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What do you get when you mix a cold with a stubborn Shield? A very worried (and annoyed) Scientia in your home.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Cracked Shield</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Wow, my first Gladnis fic! How have I managed to go this long in this fandom without writing one? The world may never know. Anyway, here we are!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As the Shield to the prince and future king of Lucis, it was Gladio's obligation to do whatever he could to keep Noctis out of harm's way. To do that, he needed to be in his best condition at all times. He took pride in his health; what he had, he'd worked for. And, on top of that, his immune system seemed to be on his side in this endeavor, and he was sure he could count the number of times he'd been bedridden sick on one hand.</p><p>That was why he was so irritated this morning.</p><p>Iris was currently on a mission worthy of a godly trial. The siblings were in the living room, with Gladio holding up both of their phones out of reach while Iris scrambled up onto the arm of the couch to try and snatch at least one of them.</p><p>"Come <em> on </em>, you have to give in sooner or later!" she was shouting.</p><p>Gladio held out his elbow to bar her attempts at reaching. "I do not. Just lay off, already!" was his retort.</p><p>Iris puffed out her cheeks and made a leap for the phones, which Gladio barely managed to dodge. Shit, his movements were groggy today.</p><p>"Gladdy, give me my phone! Either you give it to me and I call him, or I march over and tell him in person." She righted her posture, crossed her arms, and gave him a look that almost intimidated him. "Your choice."</p><p>He hesitated. He knew his sister, which meant he knew that she was serious. But he couldn't very well just let her get away with bossing him around; he had work to do, and he wasn't about to skip out over something as minute as a cold. So, pleading, it was.</p><p>"Iris, I swear, it's not that serious," he argued for the umpteenth time that morning. "Nothing that can't be fixed with some fresh air and plenty of water. I'll be fine by noon."</p><p>Honestly, it wasn't even entirely the idea of staying home that bothered him, though of course he loathed taking days off for himself. No, the biggest threat had been that Iris wanted to bring Ignis over to help "nurse him back to health," as she'd put it. There was no way he would allow himself to be brought down and babied that much. <em> Especially </em> not by Ignis. The embarrassment of being seen as weak by the one he admired so much would kill him well before any sickness could.</p><p>Still, it appeared that Iris would rather wish that fate on her brother. "Alright, guess I'm walking," she stated with a casual sigh, turning dramatically on her heel towards the door. "You could've just made it easy for me, but I can get some steps in."</p><p>Gladio groaned. "Please, don't," he replied. The last thing he needed on top of this was guilt.</p><p>Iris shrugged. "You say you're fine, but you won't even let me take your temperature. That says you're afraid of me being right," she pointed out.</p><p>"No, what it <em> means </em> is that I don't need you to check to see that nothing's wrong with me," he practically growled. Unfortunately, it sounded pretty pathetic through his sore throat.</p><p>Now it was Iris' turn to groan. "Know what? Fine. You can go, but promise me you'll eat some toast first, or at least a fruit."</p><p>With a small breath of relief, Gladio gave a nod. "Deal."</p><p>"Good."</p><p>Iris rushed around him, and he instinctively made a quick turn that caused his head to swim. Wait, no, something hit his leg, and the room <em> itself </em> was swimming, and suddenly he fell bodily onto the couch. "You serious?!" he shouted to his sister, then clamped a hand over his mouth as he felt bile rising in his throat.</p><p>A small bucket was set on the floor, which he promptly cowered over to hurl into. He despised the feeling, and the noise, and the <em> smell </em> of it all. When he looked up with reddened, watery eyes, he was met with an apologetic grimace from Iris. "Sorry," she squeaked, "I couldn't figure out another way to make you lay down."</p><p>Gladio heaved a scratchy sigh and flopped back onto the couch. His eyelids grew heavy, and the overhead light was worsening the pounding in his head more than he wanted to admit. Faintly, he felt Iris' light fingers touch his forehead. "I don't want him to see me like this," Gladio finally murmured.</p><p>He wasn't looking, but he could picture the sympathetic look in her eyes. "I know. Look, I get that you have a huge teenage-like crush on Ignis and you're afraid to look bad in front of him"—he managed to glare at her for that comment—"but he cares about you a whole lot. I have to leave soon, and I'd feel bad leaving you here all by yourself while you're sick," she reasoned. "You don’t have to be the tough guy in front of everyone, you know. Let someone take care of you for once. If not for you, can you do this for me?"</p><p>And there she went, softening his resolve just like that. He really did have a weak spot for his sister, didn't he?</p><p>After a moment, Gladio gave a nod of defeat. "Alright, I cave. But I'm not letting him take care of me if he's too busy," he said.</p><p>Gladio reached for his discarded phone on the floor only for it to be snatched up by Iris. "No way, I'm doing it. I know you'll try to convince him not to bother," she remarked, pocketing his phone and taking up her own.</p><p>"Hey, was not," he grumbled. He started to situate himself upright, but Iris pushed him back down.</p><p>"Nope, you lay there." Her voice was oddly commanding despite her face growing into a smile as she put the phone up to her ear.</p><p>Gladio was mortified. "Iris, don't <em> call </em> him! The guy's always got a full schedule, just text and wait for him to respond!"</p><p>She giggled. "Yeah, that's Gladio. This is Iris. I was calling to see if you were free today?"</p><p>For a few moments she nodded absently, the occasional "uh-huh" or "hmm" escaping her. Gladio couldn't make out the words on the other end, but just hearing the tinny echoes of Ignis' voice made his stomach weak with butterflies. Probably not the best thing when he was this queasy.</p><p>"Okay, well, if you could find the time, I was hoping that you could stop by for a little while to take care of Gladdy. Yeah, he's sick and being stubborn about it." Her face lit up. "You will? Awesome, I'll let him know. You're the best!"</p><p>Gladio flung his arm over his eyes just as Iris hung up the call. "You're gonna be the death of me," he groaned.</p><p>"Love you, too. He said he'd be here in an hour, so you'll probably be alone for about thirty minutes. That okay?" she asked.</p><p>He rolled his eyes under his arm. "I have to ask, do you actually know that I'm in my twenties?"</p><p>Iris laughed with a pat on his elbow. "Just trying to look out for my big bro."</p><p>"Can't believe you just said 'big bro.'"</p><p>She gave a little laugh, and Gladio played back what she'd said. Ignis would stop by in an <em> hour </em>? Why did he have to get sick on a day that Ignis had a light schedule? Gods, facing him like this was going to suck. He hoped more than anything that he wouldn't puke in front of him, at the very least.</p><p>He let out a long sigh, listening to Iris shuffle around the room. He appreciated that she cared about him this much, truly, but he hated this situation in the first place. Gladio <em> never </em> got sick. Being this vulnerable was one of his greatest fears and highly embarrassing for a man of his position. What good would a cracked shield do?</p><p>Thoughts of what could go wrong started to flash across his mind. He couldn't be neglecting his duties, what was he <em> doing </em> here? Even if he was sick, he needed to work it off and train to make himself better. Maybe he needed a change in his diet.</p><p>Every <em> what if </em> and <em> should be </em>swirled together into a dark blanket that shushed him. The world went stuffy and dark, and the next thing he could comprehend was something cool rested atop his forehead.</p><p>Gladio's eyes slowly cracked open. Fringes of fabric obscured part of his vision, and he finally put together that there was a rag on his head. Since when did he have that? He thought about pulling it off, but his arms felt too heavy to move. The curse of having muscles like his was not being able to maneuver them when he was too fatigued.</p><p>"Finally awake, are we?"</p><p>He didn't know if it was the overall nausea or the quickening of his heart, but Gladio nearly had to reach for the bucket again.</p><p>"H-Hey, Iggy," he managed instead, hating how rough the words sounded in his throat.</p><p>And there he was, leaning over him with those angelic features that knocked the breath right out of Gladio. Deft fingers adjusted the rag, and he could've sworn he felt Ignis' touch ghost over his cheek. "You know, your sister shouldn't have to resort to using me as a threat to get you to admit you're feeling under the weather," he was saying.</p><p>Averting that statement, Gladio let his eyes wander to study the texture of the couch. "How long was I asleep?"</p><p>Ignis hummed. "Judging by what Iris told be before I arrived, I'd estimate roughly two hours. I've been sitting nearby for the last one."</p><p>The guilt was clawing at him. "Look, Ignis, I'm sorry," Gladio started. "You should just go. I know you've probably got something you need to work on, and watching over me isn't necessary. Whatever Iris told you, I don't need any pity just because I'm not completely up to where I—"</p><p>His words were cut off by a thermometer being thrust into his mouth. "Under the tongue, if you please," Ignis instructed. Too flustered to counter, Gladio only made a faint mumble until it beeped.</p><p>Ignis held it up, then tutted. "Seems you've got a fever. Right, spending the day on the couch is the best course of action. I'll begin preparing a soup that won't be too heavy on the stomach, and there's already a glass of water that you need to start drinking on the side table. Do let me know if the towel warms up too much." He wasn't letting Gladio get a word in, just cuffed his sleeves at his elbows and adjusted his glasses while flitting about the area.</p><p>"Iggy, hold on," Gladio finally interjected, doing his best to prop himself up against the arm of the couch.</p><p>That got him to stop, and he looked back with a raised-eyebrow look. A terrible thing, really, because the way he turned made the fabric of his shirt pull taut where it was tucked in, and the definition of his shoulders was tantalizingly obvious, and he was looking right at him with those perfect eyes…Gladio felt his mouth turn dry.</p><p>"I, uh…" With a slight shake of his head, he regained his thoughts. "Don't you think you're going a bit overboard with this? You don't gotta dote on me. I'm a grown man," he reminded him. Nevermind the fact that he felt like a whiny child saying it.</p><p>Ignis turned to fully face him, crossing his arms with a deep sigh. "I am not <em> doting </em>," he defended. "I am simply doing my part to make sure that your condition improves. There's nothing overboard about making soup for a sick man."</p><p>Judging by the determined fire in Ignis' eyes, it appeared that Gladio was going to remain on the losing side of this argument. Of course, that never stopped him from butting heads before.</p><p>"Soup, fine. But I'm serious, if you've got stuff to do, don't let me get in the way. I'm not letting you prioritize me over work."</p><p>To his surprise and slight annoyance, that actually dragged a <em> laugh </em> out of Ignis, however brief. He turned towards the kitchen once more, speaking as he walked with purpose. "You won't <em> let </em> me, will you? I think you're hardly in a condition for that," he noted. It was like he was already gathering ingredients and supplies before he even set foot in the kitchen. "We've been acquainted for how long? And you honestly believe that I wouldn't care for you enough to do something this simple? Honestly, Gladio, you're too stubborn for your own good."</p><p>Gladio let out a huff, fully sitting up now. He glanced down to the floor to see the bucket from before, only it was perfectly clean. He could feel his ears beginning to burn with embarrassment; it wasn't just making soup. Ignis had set aside time for him, watched over him while he slept, and even cleaned his puke bucket, for Shiva's sake. This was the last thing he wanted. What would've been the problem with sending him off to bed for the day, leaving Ignis completely out of it? Now he had to deal with the unnecessary feeling of being a burden.</p><p>The sound of Ignis' efficient knife skills reached his ears as Gladio let his head fall back against the couch cushion. Maybe if he proved that he could move around effectively on his own, Ignis would relent and leave. No more guilt, no more vulnerability.</p><p>Only his stomach twinged at the thought of sending Ignis away. Either it was the hopeless romantic in him or the clinginess that came with sickness, but he wanted to drag him close and let his presence be his healing factor, not shut him out.</p><p>That wasn't an option, he knew. Whatever feelings he harbored for Ignis, there was no chance that those feelings were reciprocated. He'd been trying to bury them deep for some time, but Ignis playing caring boyfriend in Gladio's time of need was definitely not helping that goal. Ignis called him stubborn, but he wasn't the only one. By this point, he knew that he was going to stick around until something more important came along or Gladio legitimately got better.</p><p>Or if he <em> thought </em> he was doing better.</p><p>That got Gladio thinking. Ignis was probably feeling bad for him because of Iris playing up his sickness, and that was why he showed up in the first place. So, if he could feign his improvement enough to fool Ignis, theoretically, he could convince him to leave.</p><p>Suppressing both the unrest at having him gone and the nausea in his gut, Gladio swung his legs over and stretched before standing. He sincerely hoped Ignis wasn't watching, because he wasn't sure how convincing he looked while his vision was doing a dance of circles. A quick look once he could see straight told him that Ignis wasn't facing him, which was a relief. He was washing vegetables with his back turned to the living room.</p><p>It felt weird to stand again, but Gladio was determined. Plus, it wasn't like he was <em> that </em>out of commission. Once he took that first step, he easily figured out his stride.</p><p>Gladio walked into the kitchen, and Ignis noticed immediately. Because of course he did. He turned to lay out carrots on the cutting board with a sideways glance towards Gladio. "Need anything?" he questioned, that accusation of asking why he was up laid on thick.</p><p>"Just wanted to offer some help." Gladio shrugged. "That so bad?" he asked.</p><p>Ignis sighed and began working his knife on a carrot without sparing another glance. "I'm quite alright, thank you. Besides, I thought I'd instructed you to rest for the day."</p><p>Now he had to play it up. "Nah, I feel fine," Gladio insisted. "Maybe not up to my usual self, but really, I was just bad this morning. Whatever Iris told you, I'm sure she was just being a worried sister." Which wasn't <em> entirely </em>a lie, he presumed. He still hated not knowing what transpired after he fell asleep. "I can help you cook, we can eat it together, and then you can get back to your life."</p><p>The knife stopped. All of a sudden, Gladio felt like a kid being reprimanded by the principle. Ignis turned and gave him a hardened look. "Is there a reason you wish me gone so badly?" he snapped.</p><p>For a moment, Gladio was speechless. Ignis' eyes held not irritation, but <em> hurt </em>. What was he supposed to say? If he told the truth, that would go hand-in-hand with the feelings he was trying to hold back. If he didn't, well…the only lie he could say would be that he didn't want Ignis around. In reality, that was the last thing he wanted.</p><p>"Iggy, I don't…of course I don't want you gone," he managed to stammer out.</p><p>Ignis looked unconvinced, returning to the cutting board. "That's not the impression you've been giving off. If it's true, you can speak to me plainly about the matter. I'll understand if you feel that strongly about having the time to yourself." Maybe he needed to get his eyes checked, but Gladio could've sworn he saw the slightest tension in Ignis' shoulders, a brief falter in his characteristic preciseness.</p><p>Gladio placed his hand on the cool granite beside where Ignis was standing. "It's not like that," he stated firmly. That made the other look up, and Gladio felt himself go weak in the knees all over again. Still, he stood his ground. "It's not that I want you gone. I just…" In his pause, Gladio had to wonder how anyone could think of Ignis as expressionless, because right now he could see sadness, loneliness, and that oh-so-patient softness that Gladio knew he never deserved. He didn't deserve this man and all he did for him. So he sighed. "I just wanted to prove to you that I wasn't that sick. I thought if I fought it enough, then I'd get over it quicker. That's all."</p><p>There was a quiet noise that Gladio realized was a hum from Ignis. "Very well," he said, "then I apologize for my assumption. In that case, why don't you take some medicine and get back to resting up? I shouldn't be terribly long in here."</p><p>"Huh? But I wanted to help out."</p><p>"That's not necessary, but thank you for the offer," Ignis replied, moving to swipe the sliced carrots into the pot.</p><p>"Aw, c'mon, Igs, you think I'm gonna contaminate the food or something?"</p><p>"<em> No </em>," Ignis retorted, "but I will not be responsible for your state worsening because you refuse to help yourself."</p><p>Gladio frowned. "I'm fine—"</p><p>A knife being directed at him was cause enough to shut up. "No, you are not. You need to admit that you're sick." He had the tip pointed directly at Gladio's chest, wielding the kind of grace that only Ignis could muster with a blade. "What's more, you have to stop fighting me on getting you better. I did not reschedule my <em> entire </em> day just to come here and be refused at every turn," he warned, the declaration taking a few moments to click in Gladio's brain.</p><p>He faltered. "You put off work for me?" he questioned.</p><p>"Gladiolus Amicitia, <em> go sit down </em>," Ignis commanded, each word its own harsh punctuation.</p><p>Stunned, Gladio hardly had time to register the constricting feeling in his stomach resurfacing, and he only just caught it in time to dash back to the bucket by the couch.</p><p>There was a hand on his shoulder in seconds, fingers brushing his hair from his forehead. It was a good thing Gladio's face was already red from the exertion, because he was sure as hell blushing from embarrassment.</p><p>"I'm sorry," came a soft voice behind him.</p><p>Gladio wiped his watery eyes with a shake of his head. "'S not your fault," he replied through the scratchiness in his throat. "I'm sick."</p><p>Ignis sighed, and Gladio was quietly disappointed when his touch left. "I'll fetch you some medicine. Will you please take it easy and rest for me? I agree that you'll most likely be over this soon, but that obviously isn't right now. You can go right back to being a stubborn arse tomorrow."</p><p>That brought a slight, airy laugh from Gladio. "Yeah, alright." He hauled himself back up and flopped onto the couch. "Feel better now?" he asked.</p><p>"Indubitably."</p><p>Looking up let him catch a glimpse of Ignis' smile right as he turned out of sight. And there were the butterflies again. <em> Get it together, you're a grown man </em>, he scolded himself internally. So what if the man he was secretly in love with was taking care of him during a sick day? So what if he set aside the time to keep him company and gift him with his wonderful cooking? He couldn’t go all heart-eyed when he'd worked so hard at concealing those feelings.</p><p>"Gladio?" Ignis gently nudged him out of his thoughts. "Here, take this," he instructed, handing him a small cap of liquid the color only medicine could achieve.</p><p>He took it with a small grunt of thanks and downed it, pulling a face at the taste. A moment later, the cap was replaced with a glass of water, and Ignis was once again out of sight.</p><p>Gladio let his head fall to the arm of the couch. He was a mess if there ever was one.</p><p>The next short while was filled with the sounds of Ignis going about the kitchen while Gladio lounged back and read the novel he was partway through. This was one thing he enjoyed about Ignis' company—they didn't have to always be talking.</p><p>Once everything was prepared and Gladio was called over to eat, he was glad for the chance to get up and stretch his legs without being chastised for it. Not to mention how tantalizing the food smelled as it was being brought to the table.</p><p>"Thanks, Iggy," he said, stopping himself from digging in before he even sat down. </p><p>Ignis nodded, taking his seat beside him. "You're quite welcome," he replied</p><p>As the two ate lunch, Gladio battled with his groggy mind over what to talk about. For someone who was almost never one for overthinking a conversation, he sure was having a time overthinking this one.</p><p>Gladio set down his spoon with a light clatter. "So, Iggy—"</p><p>Just as he spoke, a muffled ringing silenced him. Ignis whipped out his phone, then offered Gladio an apologetic look with an obviously stifled sigh. "One moment, then please continue that thought," he stated. He stood, brushed a hand over Gladio's for a fraction of a second, then walked right past to take the call.</p><p>He only heard him for a few moments before he disappeared into the next room, part of it being a brisk "I thought I instructed you not to call me today unless there was an emergency."</p><p>And…great.</p><p>With that plan temporarily out the window, Gladio slumped against the back of the chair. He wondered who that was. Probably Noctis, he reasoned.</p><p>A quick glance at the table reminded him that they'd just finished eating, anyway. Right, so maybe Ignis had barred him from assisting with dinner preparations, but surely he wouldn't be opposed to him doing the dishes. How strenuous could that be?</p><p>Gladio craned his head around to check for any signs of his captor. When he confirmed that he was alone in the room, he pushed himself up and began gathering the empty bowls and cups. He had to push past the slight dizziness—he'd stood up too fast—but once he'd righted his equilibrium, he took everything to the sink and started on each one with a scrubber and dish soap.</p><p>The mindless movement was nice. On top of that, it felt nice to alleviate some of the work from Ignis when he was already spending too much effort here. Hopefully he would be able to get away with all of it before—</p><p>"<em>Ahem</em>."</p><p>The plate in his hand just grazed the edge of the sink in Gladio's jolted reaction. He turned around to see Ignis with his arms crossed and a quirk in his brow.</p><p>Shit, he'd been caught. "Uh, hey," he said with forced casualty.</p><p>Ignis breathed a deep sigh. "Right, what did I expect? I leave for one minute," he scolded, but his tone wasn't harsh. In fact, he walked right up to stand beside him and rolled up his sleeves with deft fingers. "Very well, then. We'll swap places. I clean, you dry and put things away. Sound fair?"</p><p>There was a moment of silence from Gladio before a smile broke out on his face. "Sure thing." He handed over the bowl he'd picked up before the interruption, then took up the dishtowel to await his duty.</p><p>The two fell into a rhythm quite easily, Ignis working with efficiency and handing things off to Gladio without even looking. Since Gladio knew where everything in the kitchen belonged, it was a quick task of returning things to their places in time to grab the next one.</p><p>A few dishes in, Gladio spoke up. "So, what do you wanna do after this?"</p><p>He watched as Ignis almost imperceptibly pursed his lips. "I take it you won't be returning to sleep?" he guessed.</p><p>Gladio shrugged. "I'm not really a guy for all the naps." True, he was almost antsy despite having little to no energy. He wasn't sure he could sleep if he tried.</p><p>"Hmm…" Ignis handed him another spoon, finally looking at him directly. "Are there any activities in the house that you think would be fitting for the evening?"</p><p>Was staring into Ignis' mesmerizing sea-green eyes for hours an acceptable activity? Probably not.</p><p>So, Gladio wracked his brain for an idea. Only his head was still feeling the effects of a cold, and he was coming up with nothing.</p><p>When he didn't respond for a while, Ignis tapped his foot and began scrubbing the pot he'd used for the soup. "How about a game? Something that doesn't involve too much<em> …thinking," </em> he suggested.</p><p>"Let me think about what we've got," he said. When was the last time he had <em> actually </em> played something like a board game? Or really anything, for the matter. He wasn't going to count King's Knight—they both tended to play that on occasion during off-times (or when the princess decided he needed to drag them into it because he was bored). There weren't very many one-on-one activities that Gladio could remember doing with the family. Well, except….</p><p>"I think I can find the checkers board?"</p><p>Ignis shut off the tap. "You want to play checkers?" he asked slowly.</p><p>Gladio took the last of the dishes from him and turned to put it away. "I mean, we can. I used to play with Iris all the time when we were younger." He closed the cabinet and looked back at a slightly-surprised Ignis. "It was kinda our thing," he explained. "I bet I can find it somewhere."</p><p>There was a hum from Ignis, then one of those curt nods that said he'd made up his mind. "Very well. I can't remember the last time I've played the game, but I suppose we'll see if I'm still any good at it," he stated, making Gladio chuckle.</p><p>"What's funny?"</p><p>Gladio waved off the question and started towards the living room. "Nothin'. I'll go find it."</p><p>They didn't have much by way of family games, if his memory served correctly, so finding this was either going to be very easy or very difficult. Ignis moved to clean the table, and Gladio crouched down to check below the tv for the game.</p><p>It wasn't actually a board they had. His grandma had hand-made a cloth checkerboard that could be folded up like a blanket and stuffed into a box with the red and black checker pieces. It was pretty worn by now, but sturdy as anything made by that woman. Gladio had some warm memories of that old thing.</p><p>When his hand hit a familiar tin box, a smile spread over his face. "Got it," he announced. He pulled the box from the back of the cabinet and moved to stand up, forgetting that his balance was <em> way </em> off-kilter today, and he stumbled…just to be righted by a firm hand on his back.</p><p>"You might do well to try and remember that you aren't up to your usual standards today, hm?" Ignis had a smile playing at the corner of his lips as Gladio righted himself. His hand was still on Gladio's back.</p><p>A slight huff escaped Gladio. "I'm better than before," he argued, setting the box down on the table.</p><p>Ignis gave a skeptical hum and pulled out a chair. "Are you, really?"</p><p>"Yeah," Gladio said. "Must've been the soup."</p><p>"Ah, flattery." Ignis chuckled with a shake of his head.</p><p>Gladio gave him a smile and sat down as well. "I'm serious. That was some magic stuff," he continued as he opened the box and began setting up the game.</p><p>Ignis took one side of the cloth, gently running his hand over to smooth out the wrinkles. "My, this is lovely," he commented. "I had no idea they made such things."</p><p>"I haven't really seen 'em before," Gladio admitted. "My mom's mom made that for me and Iris when we were younger. I always liked the way it felt."</p><p>He brushed over the fabric as well, which was both soft and a bit stringy. There were loose threads here and there from the years of use it had been subjected to, but the patchwork had obviously been done with love in all the stitches, or whatever it was people said when things were made with care.</p><p>In their motions, the two ended up with their fingers in each other's path. Gladio's rested atop Ignis', and for a moment they looked up and locked eyes. Shit.</p><p>"Um…you wanna be red or black?" Gladio ended up blurting.</p><p>Ignis pulled his hand back in a discrete motion and cast his gaze to the pile of pieces. "Red, if you please."</p><p>The red ones were pushed to Ignis' side, where he carefully began placing them neatly in their confined little squares. How he managed to concentrate and put effort into simple things like that was beyond Gladio, but he still secretly found it endearing.</p><p>After a moment of falling into the pit of admiration, Gladio shook himself out of stupor and began setting up his side of the board.</p><p>He waved a hand at Ignis. "You can go first," he offered.</p><p>There was a thoughtful nod from Ignis, who already had his sharp focus on the board. It took him all of three seconds to make his first move.</p><p>Yeah, that was a pretty Ignis thing. Honestly, Gladio wasn't even putting thought into strategy; there was no way he had the brains to try and best Ignis in this state, so he was just going to play for fun.</p><p>Ignis, however, was not seeming to want to take things so easy. Within several moves, he had already taken over a few of Gladio's pieces. A few more and he gained a king.</p><p>Gladio frowned as he scanned over the dwindling amount of black circles. There didn't seem to be very many options on his end. "Way to go easy on the sick guy," he murmured.</p><p>That brought a devious quirk to Ignis' smile, and he rested his chin on his closed fist. "I thought the consensus was that you wanted to be treated the same as any other day. Was I mishearing?"</p><p>"Damn, Iggy. You know a guy can't hurt his pride like that." There was an opening! Gladio jumped one of the red pieces and proudly took it off to slam it into the small pile he'd collected so far.</p><p>His grin was met with the slightest twitch of Ignis' brow. "Pride," he stated, gracefully picking up a red piece to jump the black one that Gladio had so proudly placed down, "may very well end up being your downfall. Thank you for eliminating my sacrificial checker, by the way." By now the guy was <em> smirking </em>, which Gladio would find hot if he weren't so offended. Ignis had the nerve to even twirl the plastic thing around his fingers before adding it to one of his little towers of confiscated pieces.</p><p>Okay, Ignis was brutal.</p><p>The game didn't last much longer than that. Gladio had little to no hope of winning, and he was right in that prediction. In the end, Ignis took his last piece and crossed his arms, a triumphant gleam in his eyes. So much for not being prideful.</p><p>"Alright, I call for round two," Gladio announced, to which Ignis responded with a chuckle.</p><p>"I suppose I wouldn't mind beating you again," said Ignis. Oh, it was on.</p><p>All of a sudden, Gladio forgot that he was sick. His mind was occupied only by circles of black and red, an old cloth checkerboard, and the subtle daggers of competition in Ignis' eyes. He hadn't played checkers like this since the last time he'd had a game night with Iris, which must've been years ago by now.</p><p>While Gladio was hunched over the table in concentration, Ignis sat with his posture fixed and his hands under his chin, scrutinizing his every move and no doubt running the calculations through his mind.</p><p>"King me." Gladio swiped one of Ignis' pieces and placed his on the far square.</p><p>Ignis gave a small nod, flipping over the black piece to reveal the crowned side. "It seems you're learning a thing or two," he noted with a teasing lilt to his voice. "It seems you may not be quite so sick, anymore."</p><p>Gladio huffed with a roll of his eyes. "Nothing like something to fight for to get you up and going, yeah?"</p><p>"Mm." Now it was Ignis' turn to jump one of his pieces. "And what would that be, pray tell?" he questioned, not looking up.</p><p>"Maybe I'm proving my worth to you today. I'm gonna win this game."</p><p>Ignis' eyes peered over the rim of his glasses right at Gladio. "Your worth? Gladio, I do hope that you aren't assuming that I would tie your worth to something as trivial as <em> checkers </em> ." He cleared his throat. "But you <em> are </em> down a few more men than I am. I wouldn't go pinning your reputation on this particular round," he warned.</p><p>"Yeah, whatever. You'll see," Gladio responded.</p><p>Long story short, he didn't.</p><p>Gladio lost that round. And the next one. But after that, finally, he bested Ignis in a neck-and-neck situation. However, by then, the fatigue was starting to set in, so they called it quits.</p><p>As he was folding everything up to return to its place, Ignis piped up and asked, "How are you feeling?"</p><p>That earned a shrug. "Not so bad. Maybe a little more physically tired than I'd like to be, but at least I'm not running to hurl, anymore."</p><p>Ignis gave a satisfied hum, and when Gladio stood up again, the other man pressed the back of his hand against his forehead. "Very well. Your fever has gone down, at least. I'd suggest some more rest for the afternoon, and you should be good as new by tomorrow," he predicted with a nod.</p><p>"Oh. You're, uh…you're leaving?"</p><p>Ever so slightly, Ignis tipped his head. "Were you not wanting me to? Iris only volunteered me for the duration of your stubborn act. But, of course…" He paused and adjusted the collar of his shirt. "I would not be opposed to offering you my company, if you'd prefer that to being alone."</p><p>What was there to compare? Gladio would rather Ignis' company to just about anything. So he crossed his arms and nodded as he glanced off to the side, trying to play it cool. "Yeah, sure, if you'd like. Sorry about the confusion earlier, though. I promise I like having you around. Guess I'm just not used to looking inferior around you, is all," he said.</p><p>"You're not inferior, Gladio," Ignis countered. "You're simply under the weather. Again, there's nothing wrong with being taken care of every now and again. Even being doted on, as you put it earlier."</p><p>Gladio laughed and rubbed the side of his face. "Yeah, alright. Maybe every now and then ain't so bad," he conceded, followed by a long yawn.</p><p>He wandered over to the couch and plopped himself down, and a moment later he was joined by Ignis. "Is there anything you wanna get done? I know you said you're cool with staying and all, but you don't gotta let it be at the expense of your work," he reminded him.</p><p>Ignis sighed. "I'm sure his highness can fare just fine on his own. And it shouldn't be the end of the world if I delay my paperwork for just one night," he replied, letting himself slump back against the couch in a manner that was uncharacteristic of him.</p><p>"If you say so," said Gladio. Maybe he had been looking at things wrong. Maybe Ignis needed a break, too. It was just the idea of Ignis willingly spending his off time with Gladio that had him confused. But no matter; since he was already here, he might as well make the moments count.</p><p>In a move far bolder than he'd put thought into, Gladio took up his book from the coffee table and let his body fall so that his head was rested on Ignis' lap. Then he realized what he was doing and held the book above his face so the other couldn’t see it. Good job, Gladio; there was no real coming back from that one, and now he was keeping Ignis from getting up at all.</p><p>And yet, as his eyes skimmed over print that he wasn't at all reading, he felt fingers beginning to comb through the ends of his hair. "What are you reading?" Ignis asked quietly.</p><p>Gladio peeked over the top of the book. Ignis was looking right at him, again. It was really a crime that he couldn't slide a hand along Ignis' neck, coax him down and meet him in a kiss.</p><p>"Called <em> Petals of a Rose </em>," he responded instead. "Just a romance I picked up not long ago. It's pretty good."</p><p>Ignis hummed his acknowledgement, still keeping up that gentle progression of brushing through hair. "Interesting. May I?"</p><p>"Go ahead."</p><p>The book was passed to Ignis. With his free hand, he held it up, examining the cover as well as the blurb on the back.</p><p>After a few moments, Ignis gave a curt nod and handed it back. "And does reading things of that sort lead you in any romantic endeavors or progressions?"</p><p>Gladio raised an eyebrow and set the book open on his chest. "You lost me, Iggy."</p><p>"I'm asking if reading the romance genre helps you to understand relationships," Ignis restated.</p><p>Ignis broke eye contact, and there was a hint of embarrassment coloring his cheeks.</p><p>That left Gladio speechless for a couple moments. "I mean, I think it's more that I read them because I'm a romantic at heart. What really counts for learning is your real relationships," he explained.</p><p>"Ah," Ignis sighed. "I see. Apologies for interrupting, please go back to reading."</p><p>But he didn't. Gladio look at Ignis for a moment longer before holding the book up. "Do you wanna read it?"</p><p>Ignis' looked momentarily lost, but then he nodded. "I suppose I could try it out," he agreed, gingerly picking up the book and turning to the first page.</p><p>That left Gladio to do nothing but close his eyes and get comfortable. "Lemme know if you like it. I'll let you borrow it," he offered.</p><p>And they lapsed into silence, Ignis petting Gladio's hair while he slowly began to drift off to sleep. Just as he felt himself beginning to slip out of the realm of the conscious, Ignis spoke up quietly.</p><p>"I meant what I said earlier. You've proven your worth to me long ago. Don't worry yourself with your image, because I promise that I see you as you are," he said.</p><p>Gladio felt his heart squeeze. He managed a slight shake of his head. "Thanks for coming to take care of me, Iggy. Appreciate it," he murmured.</p><p>"You're very welcome. Call me, next time," Ignis instructed.</p><p>"Mm."</p><p>In the next few minutes, Gladio was asleep. As everything faded, though, he could've sworn he felt something soft press against his cheek.</p>
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